Kingdom Keepers: The Return
by BeyondHorizons
Summary: A sequal to Ridley Pearson's adventure novel, The Kingdom Keepers. After a few months of rest and normality, the DHIs are back! The story takes place about four months after the events of the original book. The official sequel has been released.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Well the official sequel has already been released, but here's the beginnings of my own personal sequel. Hope you enjoy.**

Snow fell upon Main Street, artificially created to bring a winter spirit to the park. Though the park was now closed, the snow continued to fall. Wayne sat at a handcrafted wooded table beside the kitchenette in his apartment above the firehouse, he had a look of frustration as he rested his head in his hands and looked over the plans that had been brought to life by him and the DHI's just a few months previous. The hand-drawn plans depicting the amazing park had been slowly returning to their original faded appearance during the last few weeks; the protection it had brought to the parks was also fading. Trouble was sure to resurface soon, and he and the other imagineers were growing concerned. No matter how many times Wayne added more ink from Walt's pen, the plans would not accept it; instead, the ink, a rich dark shade, just ran off the pages. Wayne was convinced that the pen had more uses than just illuminating the plans, he needed to find out what those uses were. He had no more options; he and the imagineers had to initiate the new plan. It was a risky choice in some ways, but Wayne trusted those involved; slowly he got up from his chair and strolled towards his living room to make a very important phone call.


	2. The Return

Fourteen-year-old Finn Whitman walked downstairs from his bedroom towards the kitchen, following the smell of his father's bacon and eggs. He glanced at the kitchen clock; it was a little past ten in the morning, yet another perfect nights sleep. He took a seat at the kitchen table across from his father, who was reading the newspaper and drinking his coffee.  
Finn's life had finally returned to normal after his amazing adventures as a hero of the beloved Disney Realm.

Mrs. Whitman walked into the room. Eat up, Finn, she said, today's the day they're unveiling the sixth DHI at the Magic Kingdom. Finn glanced up from his plate. He had forgotten about the sixth DHI. Wayne Kresky, an elderly Imagineer, had contacted him late in February, telling Finn about the idea for a sixth Disney Host at Walt Disney World.

Finn wasn't sure how he should feel about the sixth DHI; he and the other original four had grown to be close friends, practically a family. Still he was curious and open-minded.

"Why is there a new DHI? And who is it?" he had first asked Wayne.

All Wayne said in response was "You know I can't tell you that, Finn, not quite yet. I'll see you and the other DHIs on the day of the ceremony, you'll find out then. It wasn't the answer he was hoping for, but Finn knew Wayne's voice well enough to tell when the old man was smiling.

Finn and the other four DHIs were asked to arrive at the Magic Kingdom by eleven o'clock, about an hour before the actual ceremony.

After breakfast Finn went upstairs to put on his DHI outfit; though he wasn't a fan of the very "loud" purple shorts and the bright orange shirt, he had gotten used to them, as they served as a connection to Finn's previous adventures. He checked his e-mail, and debated logging onto VMK, but decided against it, he knew that none of the other DHIs would be on. He looked at the computer screen, and then at his shoulder; he imagined his close friend Amanda standing next to him. Finn hadn't seen her in since his battle with Maleficent, and his only contact with her had been one note he had found taped to his bedroom door in early December. Remembering her letter, he crossed the room to his nightstand, and searched through a pile of old homework assignments and scrap paper. Finally he found it, a piece of looseleaf paper folded three times, his name written on the back; he unfolded it, and read it for what must have been at least the hundredth time:

_I'm so sorry I had to leave you so suddenly; I really wish we could have had a proper goodbye. I'm sure you have realized by now that I am not who I led you to believe I am. I'm sorry for that as well. You are truly an amazing friend Finn, and I am sure our paths will cross again soon. I can't say much more, I really shouldn't even be writing this, but I won't be far away._

_Stay "Cool" - Amanda Lockheart_

"Hurry up," Mrs. Whitman called up to Finn. He folded the paper and returned it to the nightstand, he took one last look in the mirror, and quickly ran downstairs to join his parents.

After arriving at the park through a cast member entrance, Finn was escorted down into the Utilidors where he was rejoined with Wayne as well as his four close friends and fellow DHIs, Philby, Maybeck, Charlene, and Willa.

Finn's face lit up when he saw all of his four friends. He had talked to all of them on the phone and VMK, but other than that he had only seen them on one or two occasions. There faces lit up the same, all but Charlene's, who only half-tried to force a proper hello. Charlene wasn't the same after her encounter with Maleficent on Halloween. She seemed more detached and alone. Finn wished he knew just why she acted this way.

Finn's attention was diverted by hugs and handshakes by the rest of the DHIs.

"The gangs all back together at last," exclaimed Philby, as he went up to shake Finn's hand.

Wayne interrupted their reunion. "I'm sorry but there's not time for talking at the moment, we have to hurry, we have less than an hour before it happens." "Give us a break. It's only a ceremony, and we haven't seen each other in ages!" said Maybeck, who seemed even taller than he had been the last time Finn had seen him.

"I'm afraid it's become much more than a ceremony," responded Wayne, "now hurry, it isn't safe, you must be prepared." He motioned them to follow, and started to lead them deeper into through the Utilidors.  
"It isn't safe." The words echoed through Finn's head. He had no idea what was going on, and by the tone of Wayne's voice, he wasn't sure he wanted to.

***

Wayne brought the DHIs into a small storage room in the Utilidors. He locked the door behind him, and set up a row of chairs using old crates and bins, and had them all gather around an old table.  
Once they were all seated Wayne spoke to them, "Before we go out to the ceremony, there is some information that you all need to know. I'm sorry for not telling you this sooner," he said, "but the parks have been going through a little bit of trouble lately." "By that, do you mean Overtaker trouble?" asked Willa.

"I'm afraid so my dear girl." "What about Maleficent," questioned Finn, "didn't you get any information from her?" "Containing Maleficent was a tough enough problem for us; we were able to get very limited information from her" Wayne sounded ashamed; he would not look at any of the DHIs directly.

Silence fell over the group. Everyone knew that Wayne wasn't telling them everything.

For the first time that day, Charlene spoke, "Maleficent escaped didn't she," she said. Her voice was harsh and unforgiving, though she still sounded scared. She seemed truly upset with Wayne.  
Wayne owed them all an explanation. "Yes," he said, "it was about two weeks ago, during the night. We had already contained all of her powers, she was weak and frail; her skin was no longer a rich green, it was now pale and colorless; she looked almost entirely human. We're not even sure how she escaped." Chills were sent up Finn's spine. The safety he felt was no longer with him. He could sense fear in the other DHIs as well.

"We're off topic," Wayne announced, the group put their fears behind them and paid attention. "What's important right now is the ceremony. We have reason to believe that the Overtakers might attempt an attack during it. You must all be prepared to cross-over at a moments glance." "We can only cross over when we fall asleep though" Willa stated.

"Not necessarily," responded Philby, "Finn crossed over in the park that day." "That's true, but I'm not even sure how I did it, I doubt I could do it again." "You know very well how you crossed over," Wayne spoke to Finn. "You used your thoughts, you used your mind. It's your most powerful attribute, and it is what will always help you to succeed, DHI or not." "Now let's get going, the ceremony's about to start."

The DHIs glanced around at each other; they were all scared, for they knew that their normal lives had once again been taking from them.


	3. The Ceremony

Before exiting the Utilidors, Wayne presented each host with a silver pen. Engraved on each pen was the host's name.

As Wayne handed each host their pen, he spoke to them, "As a precaution we've created these pens. Each contains a small amount of ink from Walt's original. I'm sure you all realize how powerful these can be, but you mustn't become dependant on them; they'll eventually run out of power. The pens should also be able to cross over with you, but we're not completely sure they will, we haven't been able to test them yet." Wayne handed Finn his pen. It was heavier than he had anticipated.

"We'll be the only ones able to see the Overtakers, right?" Maybeck questioned. He sounded nervous, unusual for him.

"I would hope so, but I'm afraid that might not be the case. Even if the Overtakers have succeeded in entering our world, we are somewhat prepared; the park has been limited to a very few amount of guests, and the Cast Members have been warned they may need to evacuate the guests into the Utilidors, although they have not been informed why." Wayne glanced at his watch, "Hurry! We're running late!" The group quickly made their way out of the Utilidors and towards the castle's stage.

Will looked up towards the sky, gazing at a storm forming above them. "That's strange," she said, "the weather report didn't call for clouds until late tonight." "Well it's just been changed,"responded Philby, "to cloudy, with a chance of Overtakers." The joke didn't lift any spirits.

Approaching the castle, the group found Robert Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, standing near the center of the stage in front of a large LED screen display, a display that would soon show the face of the sixth DHI. Behind him stood Brad, who Finn remembered from the process of becoming a Disney Host Interactive; he was the Imagineer responsible for the actual filming of the DHI hosting. He was pacing back and forth across the stage; Finn assumed he had been notified about the potential dangers of today's ceremony.

Finn found himself feeling very weak in the stomach. He had no idea how the events of today would affect himself, as well as the fate of the Disney Realm, which had once again been placed in the hands of him and his friends. The original five DHIs were introduced to audience before taking their seats on the right side of the stage.

Iger began to his speech by discussing the history and development of the Disney Host Interactive/Daylight Hologram Imaging system, as well as the development of a sixth DHI.

"Our decision to develop a sixth DHI was made at the same time we as company decided to expand the DHI program. I am extremely glad to announce for the first time today that we will soon begin broadcasting our DHIs in Disney's Animal Kingdom Park as well as continuing our Magic Kingdom Park program." At this point Finn and the other DHIs exchanged curious looks but didn't begin a conversation, and turned their attention back to the speech. "At the moment there are plans for future eventual expansion into our other two parks, as well as expansion to our sister park, Disneyland, in California. The company hopes the program will succeed for many years to come. Now without further hesitation, I would like to begin our ceremony." Finn was thrilled at the idea of the DHI expansion, and so were the others, as now they couldn't resist starting a quiet conversation.

As Iger continued to speak, the clock above the entrance to Cinderella Castle struck twelve. At the same time, an unexpected torrent of wind blew around the castle, causing everyone on the stage to hesitate. Only Iger continued to speak. Thunder and lightning illuminated the sky above it, which unnoticed to the Finn, had grown extremely dark. Screams broke out from the crowed as a rain started to pour. Finn quickly glanced at Wayne for reassurance that all was fine, but found his face not warm and welcoming as he had hoped, but instead was pale and horror-struck, frozen towards Main Street. Finn turned to see what Wayne was looking at. Appearing almost as if brought with the lightning was a small army of pirates, witches, beasts, and villains, all slowly making their way up Main Street and towards the castle.

Everything had gone wrong, and Finn was truly terrified; but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next. When he turned his focus back up towards the castle, he saw the face of the sixth DHI lit up across the LED display; the face of Amanda Lockhart.


	4. The First Battle

Time slowed.

Finn heard nothing but his own heartbeat; looking around the area of the park in front of him, he saw small groups of Cast Members confronting the confused crowed, attempting to evacuate them to the Utilidors. Their efforts did not prevail; many people had not yet noticed the approaching group, and those who did had no fears, convinced it was part of the ceremony. They seemed more concerned about the rain.

The Overtakers were still steadily making their way closer to the castle, they were firing upon the DHIs with scattered shots of light. One hit Finn square in the chest, knocking him off balance. He braced himself, anticipating a hard impact, but instead he found himself caught between somebody's arms.

Finn glanced upwards to see who had caught him.

"Hello Finn," said Amanda Lockhart, a smile was stretched wide across her face; her eyes were radiating towards Finn, filling him with her familiar warmth. Finn smiled back at her; he was unable to respond with words, the expression on his face was enough to explain his immense happiness.

Before anything else could be said, more shots were fired in their direction.

"We have to cross over," spoke Amanda. She sounded nervous, but tried her best to hide her fear from Finn. Finn nodded, still unable to speak to her.

He now noticed that all the other DHIs were already crossing over. Philby, it seemed had already gotten used to using his pen; he was now shooting blue bolts of light down Main Street towards the approaching Overtakers.

As it was necessary to join them, Finn thought of nothing but light. He felt a gust of wind suddenly swarm around him; light erupted from within him, creating an amazing sensation and sense of power. The light he emitted dimmed, and he found himself crossed over.

Looking around at the newly created battlefield, Finn noticed the group of Overtakers was much smaller than he had anticipated. There were only a few dozen Overtakers, most of which resembled audio-animatronics, who wouldn't be too hard to defeat. Although it didn't reassure him much, he was glad that his first battle would not be as horrible as his imagination had led him to believe. He was also glad not to see Maleficent in the crowd; he wasn't looking forward to meeting her again. The fact that the attack was so small led Finn to the conclusion that the attack was no more than a test of their newfound power, a power which enabled them to cross between the character world, and reality. Nevertheless, he was extremely nervous.

Clutching his pen for security, Finn tried to find the bravery and power within him. He tried to find the reason he was chosen for this. He focused all his energy into the pen, picked out a random Overtaker in the crowed, and audio-animatronic pirate, aimed at him, and fired. A bolt of blue light shot out of the pen, and Finn was relieved. The pen would prove to be a great help. He searched for the pirate he had aimed for. He had hit the pirate next to his original target, not bad for a first try. What amazed Finn was what happened to the pirate he hit. The pirate flickered in and out of visibility for a few seconds, before stretching and expanding apart so thin that it vanished into the air, presumably returning to the character world.

"Wow," was all Finn could muster, after watching in awe of what had happened.

"Help!" called a voice from behind Finn, returning his attention to the battle. It was Willa, engaged in a battle with a pirate; it was Blackbeard, the same pirate that happened to be the first Overtaker Finn had ever encountered. He brought his hand to his upper arm, holding the scar he had received from that night's battle, before running to assist Willa.

When he got closer, Finn noticed Willa had a large gash through her left leg, most likely caused by a run-in with Blackbeard's sword. He turned towards Blackbeard, as he was unable to help her in any way without risking an injury upon himself.

"Aye, it be none other than our own Captain Jack Sparrow," chuckled Blackbeard, as he directed his attention towards Finn, leaving Willa to escape with her injury, "haven't seen ye around these parts for quite a while, Mr. Sparrow. It's a pleasure to be seeing ye again." "I'm sorry I can't say the same about you," responded Finn. Before Blackbeard could respond, Finn threw his pen out towards the pirate and shot a blot of blue light right into his chest."

"You're gonna have to do a bit better than that, boy," said Blackbeard, looking down at the spot where the light had penetrated him, before returning his attention to Finn. "I'm a tad bit more powerful than the rest o this crew, savvy?" He laughed, and threw his head into the air, not noticing Charlene gracefully approaching him from behind. Finn watched silently. When she was directly behind him, she pushed down on his back, causing his animatronic legs collapse, leading him to tumble face first into the ground.

"It's too bad you still can't help yourself up after a fall," she said smiling. She took out her pen and fired into the pirate a few times before he too, reentered the character world.

"Thanks," Finn said, "I was getting worried," "Don't mention it," she replied, "whether I like it or not, I have a part in this; I might as well try my best to help." She made an attempt at a smile before running to rejoin the battle.

Also limping her way back towards the battle was Willa, determined not to give up, despite her injury. Finn had until that moment, forgotten about her. He raced towards her, arriving just seconds before they were joined by Amanda.

"Amanda!" Finn said, finally able to speak to her.  
"Back up Finn," she said, helping Willa to the ground before kneeling in front of her. She placed both hands on Willa's wound. The wound started to glow a golden hue. The blood flowing off her leg and on the wet pavement stopped, and soon there was no visible trace of the wound, though Willa now seemed to be unconscious.

"But how'd you? What hap-," "Finn I'm sorry, I really am. I can't explain yet; we have to finish the battle first at the very least. Please forgive me." "You don't have to ask for my forgiveness Amanda, I trust you." She smiled at him, but there were tears in her eyes. "You've been such a better friend then I have Finn; you give me much more credit than I deserve. Take Willa to Wayne's, he'll be there by now. She certainly won't be able to fight anymore today. You should be able to stay too, we're almost done here. Philby and Maybeck have herded most of the Overtakers into the castle; they'll be easier to send back if they're all enclosed. I think I saw Charlene following some into Tomorrowland; I'll meet up with her; I don't think we got off to a good start, and we really never got a chance to get to know each other. I'll come and get you when this is over, then we can talk." "Sounds cool," said Finn. Willa was starting to regain consciousness; he helped her up and put her arm around his shoulder.

"Everything's still cool to you I see," Amanda laughed; it still reminded Finn of bells. He hadn't realized just how much he had missed her. He watched her run back up into the Castle before he started walking down Main Street while lifting and supporting Willa, whose arm he placed around his shoulder.

"You two make a cute couple," he heard Willa say.

"Just how long have you been awake?" Finn asked. He felt his checks turning red.

"Oh, quite a while, ever since, "I trust you Amanda'," she said in a mocking voice. The two friends laughed, (Willa a bit more than Finn), as they entered the apartment above the firehouse.

It had been less than half and hour before the other four DHIs were knocking on the door to Wayne's apartment, drenched head to toe. Until then Finn and Willa had been talking about the last few months when they were "normal" again, and got to know each other better, something they hadn't gotten the chance to do when they first became DHIs. They also used the time to dry off; they had been soaked by the storm. Wayne had been talking on the phone, presumably with other Imagineers, discussion various cover up stories for the attack. It seemed that by tomorrow all that would be known about the battle would be that some parts of a surprise parade for the Sixth DHI Ceremony had become defected during the storm and the guests were asked to evacuate to the Utilidors due to safety concerns. Willa had avoided conversation regarding Amanda, and Finn was thankful for that.

Wayne joined the DHIs shortly, he told them that the cover-up had been initiated, and they were all free to return to their families, who were still in the Utilidors awaiting the return.  
"You guys did a great job today, and we're all very proud. We're now can be sure of the Overtakers abilities, and thanks to you we can start to fight them. This makes this last part even harder; you see, there's one last thing we hadn't been counting on," Wayne said, his face slightly embarrassed. "After you didn't come back down into the Utilidors with the rest of us, we couldn't find a good explanation to tell your families"

"You TOLD them!?" the DHIs said in unison.

"In my defense they had to find out eventually, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity, besides, it seems some of them may have already knew," Wayne sent a look and a smirk in Finn's direction. "Don't worry, we've explained everything to them and calmed them down, well most of them have. Terry, your aunt may need a little more time." Maybeck chuckled to himself, "I knew she'd have a hard time accepting it." "Thanks again guys, there was no way we could have done it without you, and I'll see you all tonight. We can talk more then," Wayne said, before he returned to his phone call.

Amanda signaled Finn to stay behind. Philby, Maybeck, Charlene, and Willa said their goodbyes before exiting the apartment, and entering the Utilidors.

"Our parents aren't expecting us yet, but we better get started right away, there is a lot I need to explain to you," She grabbed Finn's hand and quickly led him out of the apartment.


	5. The Apartment

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. I'm sorry if it doesn't make too much sense, I wrote it fairly quickly. And please keep in mind that all chapters that will be posted in the future were written after KK2 was released, so if something sounds too familiar, I'm sorry about that. I've tried to write this as originally as possible.**

"Where are we going?" Finn shouted, his voice muffled by the deafening thunder of the storm.

He was being pulled down Main Street by Amanda; barely keeping pace with her.

"To the apartment, it's safe there"

Finn knew what she was referring to, Cinderella Castle's upper apartment; originally designed for use by Walt Disney, it recently had been put to use as a hide-out for Imagineers and the DHIs. It was nearly impossible to access unless you had memorized the correct path through Escher's Keep, the defunct attraction that stood guard to the apartment's entrance.

They ran in silence until reaching the castle's entrance. "We have to get upstairs as quickly as we can," said Amanda, her eyes glued to the castle's tower. "Do you remember the way through Escher's Keep"

Finn paused, trying to recall the many twists and turns of the wild maze; "Yea, I think I could get us through"

"Good, we don't have time to waste." Amanda spoke, more to herself than to Finn.

Still holding a tight grip on his hand, Amanda led them into the castle, and to the entrance of Escher's Keep. "Okay, you can take it from here," she said, gazing at the entrance.

Finn opened the door behind the counter, and they entered the maze. He started leading right away, while the memory of the path still fresh in his mind. Still, he hesitated at each obstacle, not wanting to mess up in front of Amanda. He didn't question why it was so important to reach the apartment, he knew that he'd find out soon enough. In a little while he had correctly led them through the majority of the maze, but upon reaching the black and white tiles, Finn's mind drew a blank. If the correct pattern was not followed, they would fall into the castle moat. "I-- I don't know which to step on," he spoke, disappointed in himself. Amanda was too anxious to become upset, but her mind was now racing. "That's-- That's okay, it's fine. We can find another way." She started to turn back. "I don't think there is another way Amanda." Finn felt horrible.

Amanda stopped and turned back to face him. "Finn. you said you trusted me, right?" She had gained her focus. "Yeah, of course I trust you, why?" Amanda stepped forward and hugged him tightly. "Hold on to me," she spoke gently.

"But wha-," she looked up at him, and Finn put his arms around her without another word. Finn felt awkward.

Gently the two were raised into the air and over the tiles. They weren't flying, but more so floating; they rocked back and forth slightly as the moved across the hallway. Amanda saw Finn's face, amazed yet horrified, and quietly laughed. "Wha-- What's happen--." "Shhh, it's okay" Amanda calmed him. Once they crossed over the tiles they hovered in place for a moment, looking at each other, before descending back to the floor.

"That was amazing Amanda!" Finn was wild with emotion. "How'd you do that"

"Surprised to see I'm not just an ordinary girl"

"Amanda, you were never just an ordinary girl." Amanda blushed, and so did Finn.

"To the elevator?" asked Amanda, changing the subject.

"Uh, yea, right." Finn started to walk them down the hall and towards the door leading to the elevator platform. The room they walked into was entirely dark, the only exception being the distant stars above their heads. "Stay away from the walls," Finn called; in reality the elevator was only a platform, there was nothing to enclose them. After feeling his way around the room Finn found button, which he pushed; the platform began to rise, and Finn walked to the center.

"We're almost there," he said to Amanda, though he was unsure where in the room she was.

"Thanks, Finn, I never could have gotten up here without your help." She was behind him, to his left.

"My help? You are the one who floated us across a hallway; how you did that, I don't have any idea"

Amanda laughed. "I promise. I'll tell you everything in a few minutes, I just have to see Jess first"

"Jess! She's up here"

"Sorry, I forgot to mention that. Yes, she is. Wayne told her it was best if she stayed in the apartment during the ceremony. He didn't want to give the Overtakers a chance to kidnap her again." Silently, Finn agreed with Wayne's reasoning.

The platform had almost reached the ceiling of stars, and soon they'd be able to open the door hidden within the big dipper.

"Well, here we are," said Finn.

Amanda put her hand in Finn's. "Yes, here we are"

They reached for the door.


	6. The Moment? Couldn't thing of a name

Finn and Amanda stepped out into the light of the small apartment. There wasn't much to the apartment, two beds and an old couch were placed on one side of the room, with a table and a kitchenette on the other. A small closet was located to their left, and bathroom to their right. A few windows granted spectacular views of the Magic Kingdom. Outside the storm was growing weaker, but still, rain fell and thunder occasionally echoed throughout the room. Jess, her hair now blond, was seated on the couch, watching the storm outside.

"Jess!" called Amanda. Jess turned around and the sisters hugged each other.

"I'm so glad you're okay! I saw the whole thing! Were you scared? Oh, I wish I could have helped!" Jess seemed on the verge of tears. Amanda reassured her everything was fine.

Finn walked from the doorway towards the girls. "Finn!" Jess cried, noticing him for the first time, she ran over to hug him. "Finn thank you so unbelievably much! I don't know what we would have done with out you and the others!"

"Well I'm really glad we were able to help," Finn said, "It's good to finally be able to talk to the real you, Jess."

"I know what you mean, I feel like we can finally get to know each other now! Now is probably not the best time to start though; I've been up here since early this morning and I really need a cheeseburger! Amanda, is it safe for me to go home?"

"Yeah it should be, but check with Wayne first just to make sure. I'll probably be home in a few hours ."

Jess nodded, gave Amanda a big hug, and a friendly one to Finn, before saying goodbye and pressing a concealed button on the far wall, quickly sending her falling down a chute that opened under the floor; the apartment's express exit.

Amanda turned towards Finn. "I bet she's a lot more hyper than you remember her."

"Just a little," said Finn. The two laughed.

Amanda walked over to the old plaid couch, Finn following her. They sat and looked out the window, gazing silently over the park for a few minutes.

"Well, I guess there's no putting it off any longer, me and Jess are different." Amanda turned towards Finn; they were being serious now. "Finn, we're not even completely human, not anymore."

Finn didn't know what to say, and his expression showed it. "You don't have to talk, I just want you to listen. You really deserve to know this."

They both looked at each other hesitantly for a moment before Amanda turned away and started talking again.

"Before the Imagineers developed the DHI program, they had several other variations tested. The one directly before Daylight Holographic Imaging was something called Character Initiative Software. Jess and I, we were the original hosts; they were going to call us the 'Disney Duo'." Amanda laughed, as if recalling a memory.

"During park hours holographic versions of ourselves would be broadcasted inside the Magic Kingdom, using a very similar technology that DHIs use. Originally however, the plan was for the hosts to be given the ability to travel inside the Character World at night, _completely_ inside. The DHIs basically have one foot in reality, the other in the character world. Character Initiative was different in that sense, and more dangerous. Nobody knew what to expect from the Character World, because nobody had ever entered. There were stori-" Amanda stuttered, "-stories of course; long ago they said that a small group of Imagineers, including Walt, had entered, through means unknown to them. They escaped, but barely. Bruised and exhausted, they found themselves inside an animator's office late at night, nearly three days after they had disappeared. They wouldn't talk to about the incident, but Wayne, he thinks that a few powerful Overtakers escaped from the character world for the first time that night."

Finn's mind was running in circles. "Was Wayne-" he paused, "Yeah," Amanda said, "he was one of them."

"Oh Finn, I sound like I'm crazy don't I!" Amanda through up her hands, stood up from her seat, and walked over to the window.

Finn laughed, "No Amanda, I think I've heard and seen my fair share of crazy, this, this really isn't too big a deal." he lied, trying to hide his fear and uncertainty for Amanda's sake.

"Yes Finn, it is." Amanda said, still looking out the window. "It's a really big deal!" She nearly yelled as she turned to face him, her face was red and tears were softly flowing down her cheeks. "Finn, the Character Initiative failed, it failed miserably!" The tears on Amanda's face grew heavier and more frequent. She was uncomfortable telling this to Finn.

"My father's lost in the Character World." Amanda said quietly, looking back towards the window. "He was one of the Imagineers working on the project. Something went wrong; he's been gone for nearly a year." By now she was bawling. She walked back to the couch and sat down next to Finn, resting her head on his shoulder.

Finn knew he had to say something. "So that's why you seem to know so much about all of this. The Overtakers, the DHIs and stuff." Amanda mumbled a quiet "Yes" through her tears and heavy breathing. "And to think all this time we thought you were just an _ordinary_ girl." Finn said mockingly. He looked down at Amanda's face; he had made here smile. "I meant what I said before, you never were just an ordinary girl." his arm had been resting across the top of the couch, but now Finn moved it down to Amanda's shoulder, her warmth startling him.

They sat in silence for what could've been hours in Finn's mind before he built up the courage to ask Amanda a question.

"What about your powers? That skateboarding incident, the healing glow, the floating in the hall..."

Amanda thought for a minute before she answered. "Me and Jess changed when we first became introduced to Character Initiative. We couldn't _enter_ the Character World, but I guess you could say we became part-character instead."

"Part character?" Finn repeated, "I gotta admit, that's pretty cool."

"It has it's benefits." Amanda replied; another smile rounded her face, but tears still fell on her cheeks.

The light from the window became brighter; the Sun was setting; it was getting late.

"I'm sorry Fin-," Amanda said, but Finn stopped her from continuing. "You say that too much." he said bluntly, it was the first thing he could think of. "You don't have to be sorry; you didn't do anything wrong."

"I should've told you sooner; I lied to you." The words stuttered out of her mouth.

"You did what you had to, nobody's upset with you." Finn was getting uncomfortable; Amanda was always so knowledgeable of what was going on, so well kept, emotionally. Her crying made him uneasy.

"Thanks Finn," Amanda said, looking up at him with her warm brown eyes.

***

They sat quietly for a long time after that and continued talking. Amanda and Jess had missed a few months of school while Jess was returning to normal life and Amanda filmed her DHI tapes. Their mother had been homeschooling them, as she had been up until October of last year. Finn was glad to hear that the sisters planned on reenrolling sometime within the next few weeks.

The discussion traveled back to the present when the two were in the small kitchenette of the apartment. Having just finished a snack of cookies from the bakery on Main Street, Amanda sat on the counter and Finn leaned against the opposite wall.

"Figures, Jess was up here for hours and never bothered to look in the kitchen for a snack. I swear, that girl can be so naive some times." Finn smiled at the comment, but was lost in thought.

It was a few more minutes before they spoke again. In a serious tone, Amanda asked Finn, "Is it scary? Being a DHI?"

"Sometimes, like when the Overtakers are on you trail, but your gonna love every minute of it," he replied smiling.

"That's good," she said smiling back. She hopped off the counter and walked over towards the express exit; Finn followed behind her.

She stood on the concealed platform, the button was to her left, and she was facing Finn.

"I'll see you tonight" she said, practically glowing at this point; her personality and mood had been returned to normal. She leaned and kissed him gently. Then she smiled, and pressed the button.


End file.
